Rosso di Montalcino: Brunello’s charming little brother

In outstanding vintages, wine producers often try to delay the release of their top wines as much as they can: a disappointing practice for wine lovers and a frustrating one for wine writers.

When faced with an embargo there is little one can do. For those appellations with a pyramidal quality classification such as Montalcino, the second wines can sometimes offer an idea of the vintage, if not of the top wines themselves.

Scroll down for Aldo Fiordelli’s tasting notes and scores for 15 top Rosso di Montalcino wines

Rosso di Montalcino is the weather vane for Brunello di Montalcino, released at least a couple of years in advance.

Composed entirely of Sangiovese from the village of Montalcino, and springing from the same terroir as its big brother, Rosso di Montalcino is a dry, ruby coloured wine with good balance, reasonable body and plenty of fresh red fruits.

Minimum ageing of one year is stipulated, without any specific requirements for oak. Vintages such as the fresh and easy to drink 2018 (late released) and the supple yet more structured 2019 are coming onto the market now.

Compared to other examples of Sangiovese from Tuscany, the warmer Mediterranean climate of Montalcino makes the wine rounder in its youth, with a more graceful acidity: not exactly typical of Sangiovese and its surly attitude. The ancient soils of Montalcino, along with altitudes reaching up to 500 metres in the highest vineyards, impart an added complexity of spices to the wine, with layers of smoky woodland and tobacco.

This is particularly true for Rosso when it is made as a by-product of Brunello itself, sourced from declassified grapes, musts or wines.

The Salvioni family at La Cerbaiola, for example, does not hesitate to skip vintages of Brunello that fail to meet their quality expectations: in vintages such as 2014, for example, they use all of their grapes to produce only Rosso di Montalcino.

The result becomes one of the best within the appellation, a kind of ‘baby Brunello’. So true is La Cerbaiola’s philosophy that in top vintages such as 2015, conversely, they did not produce any Rosso, instead dedicating all of the grapes to Brunello.

Character

Rosso di Montalcino, however, has its own personality which varies according to the different subzones of the region.

On the northern side of the village, facing Siena, there is the cool hillside of Canalicchi, which cascades down to Montosoli. Here, the fruit character tends to be fresher, focused on pomegranate with a leaner body and more elegance than power.

Once called the wine from ‘over there’ – implying a product of lesser quality – today this zone of Montalcino seeks redress, producing delicious wines such as Ignaccio from Il Marroneto, which is planted over Upper Jurassic soils at 300-400 metres.

At the other extreme of the appellation, bordering the Orcia river, the sandier soils, southwest exposure and lower elevation produce a style of Rosso with supple cherry fruit, less complexity, and ready drinkability.

Moving up to Montalcino we find the Upper Cretaceous soils of Sant’Angelo in Colle at 400 metres, where lower levels of rain (500mm compared to the 700mm average) lend a notable brightness to the raspberry fruit. Here, the examples aged in large oak vessels show enhanced complexity.

One of the most consistent examples of Rosso – and a cult label among wine lovers – is Poggio di Sotto from Castelnuovo dell’Abate. Located between 200 and 450 metres in altitude, and sheltered from the heat by Mount Amiata, the formation of calcareous marl with shale produces vibrant, almost stone fruit characteristics with striking minerality. The resulting wine is absolutely delicious.

Perhaps closest to being ‘baby Brunellos’ are the Rosso di Montlacinos produced on the southeast hillside of the appellation, where the wines enjoy both the richness of a southern exposure and the freshness of higher altitude. Here lie the vineyards of Biondi-Santi, Gianni Brunelli and San Polo, where Rosso turns out more volume and more structure with acidity pushing the extremely fresh fruit. The tension found in these wines is remarkable – both in terms of Rosso and Brunello.

The best Rosso di Montalcino

If you’re looking for Rosso di Montalcino to age, the southeast as well as the northern sides are most likely your best bets.

Personally, I would not wait more than three to four years to open a bottle of Rosso. If you are looking for wines with more layers of complexity, then you are probably destined to search for Brunello. However, if you were to forget one of the best examples of Rosso somewhere in your cellar for 10 years, you have every right to be excited about opening it.

The top examples of Rosso, in my opinion, are those made with the intention to be Rosso, not just a by-product of Brunello.

Most often, these come from cooler vineyards which lack the concentration needed to achieve the quality and structure of Brunello. As a plus, Rosso’s one-percent less of alcohol lends a marvellous drinkability. At the opposite end of the scale, the worst examples of Rosso are from vineyards that are too young or with very high yields, resulting in super simple, fruity wines, if not brief, dilute or green.

In conclusion, the relative affordability, easy drinking style, graceful acidity and touch of complexity makes Rosso di Montalcino one of the best wines among the more commercial examples of Tuscan Sangiovese. An ideal ‘everyday’ wine for the wine connoisseur.

The best Rosso di Montalcino wines: Aldo’s picks

Hidden gem:

Col di Lamo, Rosso di Montalcino 2018

Must try:

Fossacolle, Rosso di Montalcino 2019

Best value:

Talenti, Rosso di Montalcino 2019

See Aldo Fiordelli’s tasting notes and scores for 15 top Rosso di Montalcino wines:

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